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Access to Health Insurance Press Releases

June 14, 2018

Patient Groups: Uphold Health Care Law As Congress Intended

Patient groups representing millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions filed an amicus curiae or friend of the court brief in the U.S. District Court case, Texas v. United States, citing the devastating impact patients would face should the court side with plaintiffs and move to invalidate the Affordable Care Act. 

June 7, 2018

Virginia Becomes 33rd State to Increase Access to Health Coverage through Medicaid

Today Virginia governor Ralph Northam signed into law a state budget that extends health care coverage to an estimated 400,000 low-income Virginians through the Medicaid program. Virginia is now the 33rd state, in addition to Washington, D.C., to accept federal funding to provide health insurance coverage to adults earning less than 138 percent of the federal poverty level—just under $17,000 a year for a single adult. As part of the expansion, Virginia will require Medicaid recipients attend school, work, partake in job training or engage in some kind of community engagement for upwards of 80 hours a month in order to receive benefits. This requirement could pose significant challenges to cancer patients and survivors.

April 20, 2018

Proposed Short-Term Health Plan Rule Would Weaken Patient Protections and Split Insurance Market

oday the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) submitted comments to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on proposed changes to rules governing short-term, limited duration insurance plans (STLD). The comments detail how the proposed rule could divide the individual insurance market and significantly weaken patient protections, leaving cancer patients and survivors with few meaningful or affordable coverage choices.